Improvement in machines for rolling springs



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/' Y Machinesfnr Rolling Springs.

v510157,927; Patented Dec.22,874.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

EDWARD POWELL, .OF NEW YORK, AND ALFRED S. MUN GER, OF WILLIAMS- BURG,N. Y.; SAID MUNGER ASSIGNOR TO SAID POWELL.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR ROLLING SPRINGS.

VSpecification forming part of Letters Patent No. 157,927, datcdDecember 22, 1374; application filed April 7, 1874.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD POWELL, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, and ALFRED S. MUNGER, of Williamsburg, in the county of Kingsand State of New York, have invented a new and useful Machine andProcess for Rolling Springs Automatically; and that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and' to the letters of reference markedthereon, making a part of this specification.

This invention is a machine for forming spiral springs of irregularform; and the invention consists of a mechanism for guiding the wire inVcoiling it, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings, Figure l represents a plan ortop view of our machine; Fig. 2, a side elevation of same Fig. 3, a sideview of a series of springs made on our machine.

Similarletters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures.

A represents the base or bed plate of our machine, affixed to which inany secure manner are pillow blocks or bearings B B1 B2 B3. Properlysecured to, and resting within, the hearings of the pillow-blocks B aretwo shafts, b b. On one end of each of the shafts b are secured smallgear-wheels c, so that gears of one wheel will mesh with the gears ofthe other. At the other ends of the shafts b are aiiixed feed-rolls C.These feed-rolls have a groove or channel, c1, formed around them.Resting within a bearing, d, is a roller, c, with a prolongation, f,secured toit. Attached to the bearing d and a supporting-block, g, is aguide, h. rllhe shank li of this guide is secured to the bearingcl andsupporting-block gby set-screws k, which pass through slots m. The guideh is immediately over the roller c, and is inclined slightly upward,(see Fig. 2,) and its front edge is angular, and ithas its outer endformed with a slot or hook, a. Immediately under the hook a of the guideh is a roller, D. This roller is supported in a bearing, o, which formspart of a sliding shaft, E, this shaft working ina suitable bearing inthe supporting-block 12.

Supported in suitable bearings formed in the pillow-blocks B2 B3 is ashaft, r. To one end of the shaft r is secured a gear-wheel, s, thegears of which mesh into the gears of an intermediate wheel, t, thegears of the wheel t meshing into the gears of one of the wheels c onthe' shafts b. To the .other end of the shaft r is affixed an eccentric,F, and a cam, G, the cam Gr having a depression, lv, formed on its side.Extending from the cam G to the shank c' of the guide h is a lever, H,supported by a supporting-block, w, to which it is secured by a pivotalbolt, y. One end of the lever H engages with the shank i of the guide 7Lby entering in a small notch therein. Immediately under the roller c isa guide-block, J. Secured to the shank of the guide h and thesupporting-block g is a spring, l; and attached to the bearing o orsliding rod E, and to the pillowblock B3, is a spring', j.

Having now described the construction of our machine, its operation isas follows: Rotary motion being imparted to the shafts b by belt aroundthe driving-wheel K or otherwise, the same motion is imparted to theother shaft b by means of the gear-wheels c, and motion is also impartedto the gear-wheel t, and through it to the gear-wheel s, causing theshaft r to revolve. As the shafts b revolve the feed-wheels G revolvealso, so that when a wire, L, is inserted between the feed-wheels C, andinto the grooves c. of the same, the wire is drawn forward by the actionof the rolls c, and forced between the roll c and guide-block J, underthe base of the guide h, and diagonallyacross its inclined edge into thehook or slot n of the same. As the wire is thus drawn in, the eccentricF, revolving with the sh aft if, is forced vagainst the end of thesliding shaft E, and forces the periphery of the wheel D against thewire as it passes upward across the edge of the guide h, forcing thewire nearer to or farther from the roll c; or, in other words,shortening the curve of the wire as it passes between the roll c,guide-block J, and edge of the guide h, as the eccentric opposes itsgreatest leverage to the end of the sliding shaft E, andas the eccentricopposes its least leverage to the end of said sliding shaft, the shaft,with Q, rames@ the wheel D thereon, is drawn bach by the recoil actionof the spring j, so that the wheel D is alternately forced against andfrom the wire.

As the shaft r revolves, the cain G revolves also, and as the depressiono of the same comes in contact with the end of the lever H, the end ofthe lever is forced inward to be again forced outward, as it is broughtin contact with the other bearing-surface of the cam, causing the leverto oscillate slightly around the pivotal pin y. The lever Hoscillatingin this way, the end thereof which engages in the shank z' ofthe guide h, imparts to said guide a horizontal reciprocating motion, byallowing the shank i to move or slide by reason of the slots m and thebolts k. This reciprocatin g motion of the shank i is facilitated by theaction of the spring Z, which alternately expands and contracts. Thisreciprocating motion of the guide h alternately draws in and forces outthe wire L as it passes upward, confining the coils of wire at a greateror less distance apart, so that, as the wire is fed through the rollsand guide in the manner just described, it is necessarilyr forced from astraight line to a curve, and from one curve to a succession of curves,by the guide h, the slotted or hooked point of which confines the wire,and causes it to recurve, and at each recurve the reciprocating motionof the guide causes the wire alternately to curve in different planes,forming a spiral. And as the wheel D is inoved against and from the wireby thel action of the eccentric F, the curves are len gthened orshortened alternately, so that, as for instance, when the wire is firstintroduced between the rolls, and tothe action of the guide, theeccentric opposes little or no pressure against the sliding shaft E, andconsequently the wheel D is at its farthest point from the wheel e. Thewire then, as :it passes upward, has given to it curves of the largestradius, (forming one end of the spring,) and, as the eccentric Fgradually bears with increased force against the sliding shaft E, thewheel D is moved gradually nearer to the wheel e, so that the curves orcoils of wire are gradually shortened until the wheel D is forced to itsnearest approach to the wheel e, when the curve of the wire will be atits least radius, (forming the center of the spring,) and from thispoint, as the eccentric revolves, the sliding shaft E with the wheel Dthereon, is gradually drawn backward from the Wheel e, and in this waygradually permitting the curves of the wire to be increased until theyhave again assumed their largest diameter, (forming the other end of thespring,) and completing it. In this way the coils of wire arealternately increased and decreased as the wire is fed to the machine7forming a connected series of springs, as shown in Fig. 3. The springsmay then be afterward cut apart, or a cutting device may be attached toseparate each spring automatically as it is formed. To the roller e issecured aY support, f, as before stated. This support is of the samediameter as the roller e, and in fact a prolongation of it, and isdesigned to support the first coil or spring as itis formed, as shown inFig. l, the support revolving freely ou the roller e, as the spring issupported by it. After several of the springs are formed, they may besupported by a trough extending in line with the roller e.'

Instead of the springs j and l, the reciprocating motion may be impartedto the sliding shaft E by eocentrics or cams, or in any other desirableway.

It is obvious that if the roller e is dispensed with, allowing thewheell) to impinge against the wire L, as soon as it shall have left theguide-rolls G on its way to the guide h, that the spirals may be formedwith very nearly the sanie facility as with or by the use of the rollere.

Having thus described the construction and operation of our machine,what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. Areciprocating guide, h, having thehookshaped end for the purpose ofregulating the coiling of the wire, substantially in the manner shownand described.

2. The guide h, in combination with lever H and cam G, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

EDWARD POWELL. ALFRED S. MUNGER. Witnesses:

M. LovELL, H. L. WATTENBERG.

